Derelict properties sold for just £1 have now been turned into stunning family homes
The homes, which were sold as part of an ambitious council initiative to sell off derelict properties in Liverpool, will have their full transformations showcased to the world later this month
A SELECTION of homes sold for just £1 have been totally transformed.
The homes, which were sold as part of an ambitious council initiative to sell off derelict properties in Liverpool, will have their full transformations showcased to the world later this month.
The once derelict shells have now been turned into stunning family homes and the results will be shown on Channel 4's The £1 Houses: Britain’s Cheapest Street on February 14 at 9pm.
The programme charts the progress made on the £1 homes over the past two-and-a-half years.
At the start of the project, many of the properties are shown boarded-up and with no plumbing, electrics, fixtures or fittings.
Victoria Brennan, 30, a Liverpool John Moores University student, was given a dilapidated two-bedroom house and a £38,000 loan from her parents so that she could restore it.
She said: “There is a stigma in the city that you have to have so much money in the bank to apply for the scheme. I was lucky.
"The overarching positive was the ability to own a property I could never afford on my own."
A previous for the programme says: “Liverpool City Council are selling off derelict houses - for just £1 each.
“But is this the dream scenario that it appears to be?
“The houses on offer haven’t been touched for 10 years, and the buyers must invest their own cash to renovate them, which is at least £40k.
“If the work is not completed within 12 months, the council can take the houses back, with no compensation.
“The newcomers are relying on each other to build a solid community from scratch.
This series, filmed over two and a half years, captures the highs and the lows of those gambling their savings to step onto the property ladder - trying to achieve ordinary dreams in extraordinary circumstances.”
One of the couples featured on the show are Sam and Rachael Kamau, whose property in Merseyside, was in such a bad state that they couldn’t even look inside - because of how “dangerous” it was.
According to the , Sam and Rachael's house had “a waterfall coming down the staircase” and a “bathroom with no floor” when they obtained the home via the Homes for a Pound Plus scheme.
Rachael explained: “When we saw this house, it was a bit of a shock.
“There was a waterfall coming down the staircase because the roof had no lining, the bathroom had no floor so you could see through to the kitchen, plaster was peeling off the walls.
“It was the worst house we’d ever seen and I know most people would have just turned around and walked away but what we saw, beyond the poor condition, was the space."
Rachael added: “It’s been the best pound we’ve ever spent and the journey has been a real roller coaster.
Homes for a Pound is a scheme set up by Liverpool Council in a bid to fill 6,000 unused houses.
So far, one hundred families have been allocated a property - with a further 350 families being considered for one.
To be eligible for a £1 home individuals have to live or work in Liverpool.
The £1 Houses: Britain’s Cheapest Street starts February 14 at 9pm on Channel 4
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Previously, we revealed how a young couple who bought derelict cottage for just £37,000 almost TRIPLED its value.
Meanwhile, a derelict manor house has been transformed into a stunning family home… and now has its own MOAT.